In a double-charitable enterprise, money was raised to help pay for the adoption of an African child at the same time that volunteers helped a widow fix up her place.

The "Both Hands" project to place on Aug. 24 at a home on the northwest side of the city.

Ryan and Sarah Alexander coordinated work on the home of Wilma Hackney. The way Both Hands works is that the widow gets much needed help and the adoptive family gets financial support to help bring their child home, organizers say.

Hackney was widowed in 1998. She has spent her life serving orphans through the Nebraska Foster Care system. Her efforts earned her a “Woman of Achievement” honor in 2011 from the North Platte Business and Professional Women's club.

Volunteers and sponsors of this project not only helped Hackney, they raised funds to offset the costs of the Alexander’s adoption of a little girl from Ghana, West Africa.

According to the Both Hands Foundation website, it is 501(c)3 non-profit organization “serving widows, orphans and adoptive families.” Founded in 2008 and based in Nashville, its purpose is to help people raise funds for orphans while serving widows through home improvement projects.

One hundred percent of the money donated goes to the designated recipients, Alexander told the Bulletin. Private donors pay the administrative costs at Both Hands.

Each project starts with an adoptive family. The family recruits a team of friends to work on a widow’s house. Before doing light repairs, painting, de-cluttering, cleaning and landscaping, team members ask family members and friends to sponsor them for the day while they do the work.